International Football
‘WE WANT TO PUT FRANCE’98 EXPLOITS BEHIND US’, SAYS CROATIA, NIGERIA’S WORLD CUP FOES
BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.
Zlatko Dalic, the Coach of Nigeria’s first Russia 2018 opponents, Croatia, has enjoined his players to forget the old glory and face the present reality as the Eastern European side attempts to chart new course in next month’s World Cup.
Croatia was an instant hit in the country’s debut appearance at the World Cup 20 years ago in France. Having attained self-rule in 1990 from the former Yugoslavia, the country’s entry for USA ’94 was turned down.
But four years later, it was like a fairy tale as big teams crumbled miserably under the rampaging debutants.
Croatia beat Germany 3-0 before seeing off The Netherlands in third-place playoff to emerge the best mover ever in the 25 year history of FIFA ranking. On admission to FIFA, Croatia ranked 125th in the world. But following impressive outing at France ’98, the team rose astronomically to the third place, making it the most volatile team in FIFA ranking history.
But that is where the fairy tale ended. In subsequent World Cup finals, Croatia had been a shadow of the France ’98 squad.
The team got eliminated in the first round at 2002, 2006 and 2014 and failed to qualify for the 2010 edition in South Africa.
That was what Dalic, the coach harped on when he was interviewed on Dnevnik Nova TV, a Croatian station. He believes the Croatian side had been living off France ’98 feat for too long.
“I have to say what is good and what is not,” Dalic told Dnevnik Nova TV. “Croatia haven’t done well in a World Cup since France 1998, and going on our quality, we should have.
“We have a brilliant generation of players who, like me, have to know that we can’t live on past glory. Ahead of us is the World Cup, and we have to be at our best there”.
But he is excited that he has three quality players in the UEFA Champions League final – Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren and Real Madrid pair Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.
“I’m very proud that Croatia has three players in the Champions League final, which proves our quality,” said the 51-year-old. “They won’t be tired and will come to Russia full of confidence and motivation.”
Dalic also has the likes of Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Perisic (both Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan) and Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) at his disposal, and he intends to maintain his faith in them rather than gamble on youngsters at Russia 2018.
“This week we will define a larger squad, and it will comprise players who have spent the last two-three years in the national team,” said the former midfielder. “There will be no big surprises.
“We have great players and a great generation, and we have to believe in this generation at the World Cup. They got us there and we should give them a chance.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a group of youngsters who are the future of Croatian football. But we will introduce them in the [UEFA] Nations League in the autumn to give them the chance to show their quality.
“It will be best for [Borno] Sosa, [Filip] Benkovic, [Duje] Caleta-Car, [Nikola] Vlasic, [Ante] Rebic to enter a new cycle for the EURO 2020 qualifiers and the Nations League.”
Dalic believes that starting the World Cup with a tough opponent like Nigeria portends good for his team. “I’ve always said I wanted tough matches and tough opponents, and we can only progress as a team by playing against top sides and [learning from] our mistakes,” said Dalic. “We don’t need weaker opponents. Perhaps it’s risky of me to feel this way, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He however forgot that Croatia had even tougher opponent in Brazil at the opening match four years ago and yet the team could not make it beyond the group stage.
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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